INTERVIEW: Still doesn't feel real

Defender Brandon Gwinnutt finalised his first professional deal last week and admitted today that his head was still spinning despite the fact that the ink is now dry on his twelve-month contract.

“It just feels like a massive relief to have it all finalised,” he said. “I think the sinking in bit will come a little bit later.

“It still doesn’t feel real at the moment, if I’m honest. I’m smiling every time I think about it and I don’t think that will ever change.

“It’s the dream of every young lad to have what has just happened to me happen to them, and I’m determined to make the most of it.”

But, and as he keeps getting reminded by just about everybody who speaks to him these days – the hard work starts here.

“I’ve spent the last few weeks working hard because I want to be ready for when we get back in June,” he told us. “I’m always thinking about what I can do to make myself better anyway, but I definitely want to hit the ground running.

“As a young player and a new member of the squad I think I will have to be seen to be putting a real shift in. The players with experience and who have done this before will just get on with it and they’ll expect us to do the same.”

“I do get nervous during the build up to anything I’m going to do,” he added. “That’s the same whether it’s a game or anything else. I usually find that I settle down a few minutes into it and I think it’ll go that way when I get back for pre-season.

“It’s a challenge I’m more than ready to take on. I approach everything in the same way – there’s no such thing as not being able to do something as far as I’m concerned.

“My family are the same. They have been there for me all the way and it was my mum who sat me down at Christmas and told me to go for it. She hasn’t had to say that since because she knows I’m doing it for myself now.

“Mind you, if she sees me looking tired she still kicks me up the backside to make sure I’m going to do some training, but I think she knows I’m taking it all too seriously to waste the opportunity I’ve been given.”

“It’s like anything, though,” he continued. “You have your bad days and you have your good days, and it’s good to have someone there who will give you a bit of advice and push you on a bit.

“I’m going to the gym as often as possible and I’m doing my runs on the back of that, and hopefully that will put me in a good position.”

“It’s hard to explain how much I’m looking forward to getting back to work,” he said. “My aim has to be to try to get a place in the first team. I know that won’t be easy and the first step has to be to do what I can to be involved in the squad and we can see where it goes from there.

“The young players who have come through the system recently are an obvious incentive for all of us. It shows that the gaffer will reward you if you’re doing well. It’s up to the three of us who came through this year to follow in their footsteps.”